I know, I know. Sometimes we go off on photo tangents that probably leave you wondering what on earth we're talking about. Truth is, many of our blog readers are professional photographers and other wedding vendors (holla!) so we find it helpful to toss in some of the industry things we are doing now and again into the blogging mix, too.

Last week we took a company field trip. Whitney, Denise, Megan, Steve and I (plus pro pal Audra) hit up WPPI, the "it" conference for wedding and portrait photographers at MGM's conference center in Las Vegas. Among 12,000 others, we took in the sights, the awesome opportunity to learn and share, time to connect with some of my most favorite friends and goodness, I ate well! I was only there for 48 hours, awake for 40 of them (thank you, Starbucks!), determined to make every minute count for my first time away sans bebe.

I have attended this conference 6 of the last 7 years and each time I go, I'm amazed at how quickly the industry is changing. With so many newcomers to the field and, sadly, a high turnover rate, some of the photographers I once admired have since gone on to other things and new trendsetters have stepped up in their place. It's always the pat-on-the-back/mid-winter boost of inspiration I need each year, and I loved having such an outstanding staff to roll with (as Steve likes to say).

We had a lot of fun with the crew at the Pinhole Pro booth, the professional photographer's portal of the Pinhole Press products you've spied in Martha Stewart and Real Simple lately. Even cooler, our images are featured on some of their handsome toothy paper goods! Photo notepads, journals, calendars, brag books, thank you notes and even magnets, Pinhole is the hot spot for photo gifts. There they also launched a new desktop design solution with many fantastic tools for customization. Sweet! (pros only. Sorry, mom). We're tickled to be associated with such a top quality company and loved seeing the buzz at their booth. Check 'em out!

We photograph weddings, yes. But man oh man, there is SO much more to this profession than white gowns and toasts and first dances. If that weren't the case, I definitely could not have sustained almost a decade photographing just lavish parties. The undercurrent- the rhythm that keeps us interested and always coming back wedding after wedding with a fresh perspective and curiosity- is love. Yours. For your partner, your family and friends, those little touches that you poured your heart into, the stories and gestures shared. The depth of weddings intrigue and astound us. We give up our weekends with our families to spend them with yours. We laugh with you, sometimes get emotional with you, and are so, so happy to celebrate you. We get it. We love it! We love love.

And along the way, a beautiful thing happens... a vendor to start, friends by the finish.

I met Sarah and Hawley in 2008 through another one of our couples, Kelsie and Reg. We all became fast friends and so when their wedding rolled around a year later, J and I couldn't wait for their wedding day. Not once did we feel like hired help, but rather friends with a very distinguished honor. Today our artwork adorns their walls and reminds us every time we visit how important wedding photography truly is in capturing family history.

I have a funny feeling some of those photographs will be swapped out soon, however, as Sarah and Hawley welcomed a very special little guy into their lives last week! How lucky we are to celebrate this new life, their love.

Rounding out our coverage in the latest local magazine scene is Carolena and Phillip's lovely seaside celebration at Newagen Inn in the newly renamed Seacoast Weddings (formerly Seacoast Bride) magazine. J and second photographer Denise thoughtfully captured this festive day and all of its lovely elements. I am sitting on the editorial advisory panel for the magazine this year and look forward to learning about their process, sharing my experience and collaborating on content with editor Mary Jo and the staff.

Want to see your wedding featured in a magazine? Editors typically approach us with weddings they have spotted on our blog that stand out to them, but we also invite them to view others they may have missed. Magazines mostly focus on the details of each wedding- the flowers, tables, food, fashion and location that make a wedding unique.

This wedding was as darling as it sounds. Jamie and Scott, their two daughters, and five friends joined them on The Rugosa lobster boat for a sunset ceremony. Sweet and different, it was an experience that ranks among the most memorable weddings I have ever photographed and I'd love to do this again and again. I'm so happy Maine Magazine felt the same and included it in their new 2012 weddings issue. Be sure to revisit their original blog post to see more images here. Congrats again, Jamie and Scott. I know you guys were so excited about this feature, too!!